CAREC Results Framework

The CAREC results framework is a performance monitoring mechanism that tracks progress made by CAREC projects and activities over the past calendar year.

Initially, the Development Effectiveness Review (DEfR) monitored the CAREC Program at three levels: development outcomes (Level 1), sector outputs (Level 2), and operational and organizational effectiveness (Level 3). An initial DEfR review concluded that this did not allow adequate distinction between outcomes and outputs at the sector level.

A 5-level structure, introduced in the methodology review reported to the Senior Officials' Meeting in October 2013, covers inputs and interventions, outputs, outcomes and impact, along with a level showing the list of CAREC institutions and bodies (see Table 4).

Sector results for Transport and Trade Facilitation, Trade Policy, and Energy were standardized and integrated into this structure.This structure provides an overview of the full program in one single place, showing who are involved, what is being done (interventions), what is being delivered (outputs, e.g. road infrastructure and systems), how the infrastructure is being used by beneficiaries (outcomes) and what this contributes to in terms of regional impact.

Five Levels of the Results Framework

The results framework is structured around 5 levels:

Level 1: CAREC Bodies and Institutions. The first level lists the CAREC bodies and institutions that are active in the various sectors. The theory of change starts at this level and sets out the structure that supports the implementation of the CAREC 2020 strategic framework.

Level 2: CAREC Interventions. The second level is intended to capture the interventions undertaken to implement the framework. The interventions include strategies/studies/analytic work; policy changes; projects; and institutional changes. The interventions listed in Table 5 are more generic in nature; they are not an exhaustive list of all planned interventions but more of an articulation of the intended foci of any number of interventions. However, specific "flagship" projects or interventions may be listed here. Indicators at this level would include measurement of the CAREC portfolio.

Level 3: Changes in Sector Outputs. This third level captures the changes at the sector level in terms of the systems and infrastructure that will be improved, expanded, enhanced, etc. over time. Sector outputs are desired changes in systems and infrastructure brought about by the CAREC interventions. These occur within the sectors of the different CAREC countries. An example would be road and rail infrastructure and systems. Indicators at this level would measure the amount of infrastructure or the nature of the systems, for example, the length of roads connecting countries.

Level 4: Changes in Sector Outcomes. The fourth level articulates the changes that are desired in terms of sector outcomes. Sector outcomes are defined as the use of sector outputs by beneficiaries or clients. For example, this would include the use of road and rail infrastructure to transport people and goods across borders. Indicators at this level would measure the amount of cross-border freight, for example.

Level 5: Regional Impacts. This is the final level and includes the "end / final" impacts that are desired at the regional level, above the country level. Indicators at this level would likely be by country level but rolled-up to a regional level